Happy Birthday Dear Hubby!

DH turns 63 today. We had a birthday brunch on Saturday because he is on a business trip in Gatlinburg, TN today. I didn't get him a present other than taking him, his mom, and a friend out to brunch on Saturday. Do you think that counts as a gift? His real reward for getting older is that he is planning on retiring from his current position at the end of October. The current plan seems to be that from then until the first of the year he may do some consulting for the company. After that, who knows?

The Next Phase

It seems that DH and I are about to enter the next phase of our lives. He is ready to retire and I just started a new job a year ago. Actually, that was the plan. I was in school for 4 years prior to taking this job. I got my master's degree and was working on a doctorate when this job opportunity came along that was more attractive to me than 2 more years of school. So, the plan was, when I finished school and got a job, he could retire. Thankfully, for our finances, he does not really want to retire, just step down from his current stressful position, which he finds increasingly distasteful, and get something less demanding (which usually means something less lucrative, as well). So, we spent most of today looking at our finances, figuring our retirement income and talking about various job possibilities for him. It is scary to know how much, and how soon, he would like to leave his current position without knowing what he might do instead. However, he will turn 63 next month and he has been the major contributor to our finances during our marriage, so I whole heartedly support his decision to "downshift." For my part, I better go into work tomorrow with renewed vigor and commitment because it's my turn now to be the major breadwinner (although, if he finds another suitable position, we might not need to touch our retirement savings for another 3 years or so). Well, that's all that's fit to print for today!